Short Summary

The crisis over the future of Northern Rhodesia ... Sir Roy Welensky, Premier of the?

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LV Barracks
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CLOSER V..DITTO
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SV Soldier arrives by car
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LV Troops arriving
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LV Troops lined up for inoculations
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SCU Soldier inoculated
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SV Troops receive new rifles
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REAR V..Troops walk off with ammunition boxes and rifles
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SV Group of troops sitting
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REAR V..Platoon of troops march away
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Initials EHR/S/MR/ES

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The crisis over the future of Northern Rhodesia ... Sir Roy Welensky, Premier of the Central African Federation, called up a further four battalions of the Royal Rhodesia Regiment, Feb 22. The men - all territorials and totalling 3,000 - reported to barracks in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia.

They received inoculations and were kitted out. Sir Roy (the previous day he rejected the British proposals for the Northern Rhodesian constitution) said the troops had been called up to "Meet any possible disturbances in the country... in the interests of public safety".

Feb 22, all five Northern Rhodesian Ministers belonging to Sir Roy's United Federal Party resigned office. It was expected that Sir Roy would seek the dissolution of Parliament and a mandate from the electorate to demand from Britain the independence of the Federation.

Under British proposals, there would be a substantial increase in African representation in Northern Rhodesia's Parliament.